The big August movement occurs occasionally as early as the first days
of the month, whereas it was delayed till the last week in 1947. About
the first of August, 1943, according to Fred Schweder, Jr., a thousand
Caribou swam across the mouth of Windy River in the course of an hour,
and there were other thousands during a two weeks’ period. But such a
large migration strikes this point only once in several years. In other
years it may pass southward farther to the west, as in the vicinity of
Simons’ Lake.
In the fall of 1946--the very season when the Caribou bypassed the
Eskimo camps on the upper Kazan River--there were said to have been far
more than the normal numbers in the Windy River area. Thousands passed
in one day, about October 10. The hills about Four-hill Creek then gave
Fred Schweder, Jr., the impression of “moving with Deer.” By comparison,
the numbers along the Windy River in 1947 were considered by the local
residents to have been below normal, however impressive they may have
been to a zoological visitor. On the other hand, it seemed to Charles
Schweder, during his trip down the Thlewiaza River in late August of
1947, that Caribou were still very numerous; and he reported that people
along the west coast of Hudson Bay were then getting more of the animals
than in previous years.
Only rarely do limited numbers of Caribou remain all winter in the Windy
River area. During Charles Schweder’s years of residence there (about
1936-47) the animals had done so just once--on the Windy Hills. In
1946-47 Fred Schweder, Jr., found about 300 of them remaining all winter
about the north end of Ennadai Lake. He said that the locally wintering
animals are all bucks. Katello, an elderly Eskimo of the upper Kazan
River, informed Charles Schweder that the Caribou used to remain there
all winter, but now very rarely do so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account